“Sonic Surprises & World Rhythms”: Iranian-American Psych-Rock Band Habibi On Their Eclectic Inspirations
Brooklyn-based psych-rock band Habibi can boast musical influences as diverse as Middle Eastern folk, disco, soul and even experimental post-punk reminiscent of New York bands Television and Talking Heads. On their latest album Dreamachine, the five-piece Iranian-American band have delivered their most immersive, danceable, energetic album to date.
It all began in 2011, when vocalist Rahill Jamalifard and guitarist Lenny Lynch co-founded Habibi (literally meaning ‘my love’ in Arabic) in Brooklyn. By 2014, their self-titled debut album – combining lyrics in Farsi with dreamy, hypnotic psych-rock guitar noodling – was a magnet for critical acclaim. They took their time to craft their next offerings, the 2015 collaboration with Californian group La Luz, then Habibi’s 2018 EP Cardamom Garden. In 2020, they delivered sophomore album Anywhere But Here. From the 1960s girl-group harmonies in their earlier songs through to more ominous, doom-laden tidings a decade later, the band has evolved beyond strict genre definitions to defy being pigeonholed.
The band, which has undergone changes to the lineup over the years, has found a solid, cohesive grounding in its present collective: today, Jamalifard and Lynch are joined by drummer Lyla Vander, bassist Yukary Morishima and guitarist Ana Becker.
08.08.2024
Dreamachine writhes with the snarling punk energy of guitar riffs, while tripping on a mystical, dreamy bed of layered synths and percussion. It’s the musical equivalent of an epic road trip into the desert, where clarity is forsaken for the immediacy of heat, light and sound.
Service95 connected with Detroit-raised, Brooklyn-based co-founders Rahill and Lenny to ask: which artists or bands have been most influential in your musical life?
Rahill Jamalifard
“Hands down, the band who influenced me the most is [1960s rock band] The Velvet Underground. I discovered them in high school and listened to them obsessively from then on. Nico’s [the German singer who collaborated with the band] style completely changed what I thought about singing. The other group that’s been most impactful is [1970s band] Kraftwerk – still now I find so much inspiration listening to them. They were so ahead of their time; their music is timeless and infinite.”
Lenny Lynch
“I saw the [debut] The Velvet Underground album with its [Warhol-designed] banana cover at the library where my mom worked when I was about 15. It was cool-looking, with a cool band name. I played it and was like, “What is this garbage? You call this music?” But something about it intrigued me. It was unlike anything I had heard at the time, and it challenged everything I knew about songwriting. When asked this question, I had wondered if it’s becoming a cliche to say the Velvets but at the end of the day, it’s always going to be them that resonate throughout my life.”
Lyla Vander
“I loved [1970s New York band] Talking Heads when I was young, but I can listen to them now and still find sonic surprises. It’s art punk, with catchy-but-bizarre vocals by [David] Byrne, with [Tina] Weymouth’s bass funk and Chris Frantz’s dance and world rhythms is something I am always chasing musically. Sprinkling in some Brian Eno (another influence) and there’s a recipe for a deliciously weird result that satisfies my romantic art fantasies and translates into hits everyone can eat.”
Yukary Morishima
“The huge influence in my music life is [1970s experimental rock bands] Throbbing Gristle and This Heat. They are so weird, in a good way. I can’t explain their music by genre. because they create their own music genre by themselves. They have such a unique sound, like a film score. I want to be a ‘one and only’ musician like them!” Rahill adds: “Yukary is a badass, the best bass player I’ve ever seen.”
Ana Becker
“The most influential band in my life has been [post-punk New York band] Television. I first listened to [album] Marquee Moon when I was about 13 – it was the first album I bought from a record store and wound up changing my life. The way the guitar parts dance around each other captivated me. I listened to it constantly when I was first learning to play!”
Dreamachine by Habibi is out now
Cat Woods is an Australian freelance journalist. She has written on music, books, law, fitness and travel for international publications including the New York Times, BBC, CNN and NME.
